Philly race makes room for NYC marathoners

PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia Marathon has opened an additional 3,000 slots for runners who were unable to compete in the canceled New York City Marathon.

Officials said competitors who were registered for last weekend’s New York City race can enter a lottery to register for the sold-out Nov. 18 race in Philadelphia. Entries will be accepted Wednesday and until 5 p.m. Thursday, and a computer will randomly select as many as 3,000 people.

Mayor Michael Nutter said Tuesday that marathoners invested a lot of time, training and dedication to run in the Nov. 4 New York City event, which was canceled following damage to the city by superstorm Sandy.

Nutter said adding as many as 3,000 competitors was “something we can do to support the running community.”